Closure for bottles and other containers



T. c. SPELLING.

CLOSURE FOR BOTTLES AND OTHER CONTAINERS. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 3, 1918.

1,390,833, PatentedSept. 13,1921.

0 I f T /5 I IIIH HH INVENTOR;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS C. SPELLING, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CLOSURE FOR BOTTLES AND OTHER CONTAINERS.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, THOMAS C. SPELLING, a citizen of the United States, residin at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have'invented certain new and useful Improvements in C10- sures for Bottles and other Containers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to closures for bottles and other containers and has for a principal purpose the provision of a closure which is so simple in form that the binder member can be made out of one piece of metal, be permanently attached to the bottle or other container which wholly excludes free air, thus allows brim-full sealing, and dispenses with the usual form of stopper heretofore in use. The invention includes a bottle member so shaped and formed that such binder can be fitted to it. All of which fully appears from this specification, the claims and drawings.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top view of a bottle neck with my closing device applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of ig. 1. Fig. 3 is Fig. 2 seen from the left side. Fig. 4: is a top view of a bottle neck slightly different from that in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, but to which my closure is applicable. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the bottle neck shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a bottom view of the soft disk designated hereinafter as the sealer, or seal member. Fig. 7 is a diametrical section of Fig. 6. Fi 8 is a plan view of the blank from which Tform the metallic part of the closure, hereinafter designated as the binder. Fig. 9 is abottom View of the blank slightly modified and prepared for application to a bottle neck. F 1g. 10 is a section on the line 10--10, Fig. 9.

A description in detail will involve the use of reference numerals, the same numeral being employedto represent identical parts in the different views.

On the neck of a bottle l is formed the rim 2, which hasthe horizontally undercut base 3, the level section 4, the slanted section 5 and the relatively sharp edge 6. Through the level section is the round opening 7, and directly opposite is an undernotched, under-trenched andlaterally pro- Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 13, 1921. Application filed October 3, 1918.

Serial N 0. 256,647.

tionand without committing myself to any particular dimensions, I will suppose the free flat end 8 of the binder is one-fourth inch wide. Then the trench will be threeslxteenths of an inch wide, leaving one-sixteenth of an inch in width of the free fiat end exposed, when in place. The spur 10 on the free end is to be fitted into the notch 11, as seen in Fig. 3. The notch is onesixteenth inch from the under-trenched side of the shoulder 12, and one-eighth of an inch from the attached side of the shoulder. In other words, when engaged by the spur it constitutes an absolute look, exactly in the middle of the arm 14: of the binder. The spur is a portion of the terminal, separated from 1t except at its inner end, and there bent to a position at right angles with the terminal. lVhen emplaced it pointsaway from the bottle rim. This is a necessary arrangement, because, if the notch were reached and engaged by a lateral extension of the terminal 8, the pull force would be thrown obliquel across the cap portion 13 of the binder, anc prevent an accurate fit of the cap, by pulling it over to the right, speaking now with reference to Fig. 3. With the spur, 10, centrally engaging the arm let, the pull force is applied along a line extending centrally and exactly on a line between the. two points of engagement at which the binder is fastened to the rim.

In pressing the free terminal. down to engage it in the notch, it will be turned aside from the direct vertical line by contact of the spur with the unattached side of the shoulder, but only one-sixteenth of an inch, causing a slight twisting of the curve 15. But the spur having engaged the notch, the curved, portion of the arm will resume its normal shape and relation.

Directly opposite the point of locking engagement just described, is the pivot 16 for the binder. In order to clearly show the formation of the binder, the blank piece of metal, for it, as it would be cut out of sheet metal before being bent, and the finished form, are both shownin the illustration. It will be noted that the end 17, marked 22 as formed, is slitted at 18, and at 19, with the shoulder 20, and the neck 21 above, the parts on either side of the slit 18 being designated by the'lettered numeral 18"*. The edges of the portion below the shoulder, 20, are turned together to make the substantially round shank 22, after which the shank is slid into the opening 7. The shoulder, 20, now rests on the level section 4. Next the parts of the shank below the slits 18 are bent upward and flattened against the base of the rim, as shown in Fig. 2, and all that portion of the binder above the slits 19, having been shaped, formed and curved, is bent toward the point of frontal attachment already described, and as seen in Figs. 2 and 3.

As it is desirable that the frontal end of the cap portion 13 shall tilt upwardly when unlocked, to avoid dragging the sealer 23 on the sharp edge, 6, the neck, 21, connecting the pivot and cap is formed with the slight downward curve 24c, causingthe slight separation between that and the surface of the rim as seen in Fig. 2.

The curve, also, in conjunction with the frontal formations, causes resilient pressure of the cap on the sealer and of the sealer on the edge surrounding the mouth of the bottle.

As a guide in sealing and binding, the shallow incision 2 1 is made in the face of the sealer, andin order that the small quan: tity of liquid, or other flowing substance, which the intrusion of the portion, 25, of the sealer inside the incision will force to the center of the month shall not interfere with the act of sealing, the sealer will be formed of rubber or other elastic substance, and cen trally diminished and weakened by cutting away a portion as seen at 26. The liquid or other flowing substance pressed to the center will simultaneously press upward at this central point andcause an upward bulge, at 26. Whether or not the binder shall be permanently attached to the sealer is optional. But the advantages and uses of a label formed and fitted to cover this central portion and to extend and be crimpled be yond and around the edge of the cap are so obvious that it is not thought worth while to describe it in detail, or to illustrate it. In order however to make the cap portion a little more flexible and thus facilitate the yielding action at the center of the sealer, the open spaces, 27, are left by cutting away some of the metal.

The formation already designated by the numeral 6,merely increasing the steepness of; the slant 5, so that the only respect in which the modification (Fig. 4) differs from the preferred embodiment, in that respect, is the continuance of the slant in the same plane throughout. The only other respect in which. there is a difference is the enlargement of the neck below the rim, as seen at 28, without other variation in form of function.

The binder will usually be formed of metal, though it might be practicable to form it of celluloid or some other substance of suflicient tensile and cohesive strength. Whatever the material of which it may be formed, it must possess the quality of resiliency.

To consumate the locking engagement, pressure can be applied on the curve, 15, to force the spur 10 into the notch. Upon removal of the pressure on the curve, the spur will enter the mouth, 'and the curve will react to the extent of the depth of the notch, which need not be more than. one-sixteenth of an inch, and there will be a surplus of resilient reaction suflicient to bind the sealer.

Inasmuch as the invention may be en1- bodied in various other forms of varying sizes, and used with an increased number of mouths of the same character in assembled and partitioned containers, I do not, by reason of the foregoing description and these drawings, preclude myself of the right to embody it in other forms, and to apply it to other uses, consistently with these specifications and claims.

Having thus set forth and described the invention, I claim as follows:

1. In a closure for a bottle or other container, a bottle formed with an undercut, apertured rim, the upper side of the rim having a level outer and an upwardly slanted interior section and a trenched and notched shoulder, and, opposite the shoulder, an opening for a pivotal attachment, the aperture adapted to be fitted with an axle and the shoulder shaped and formed for locking engagement with a spur on the terminal of a binder.

2. In a closure for a bottle or other container, a bottle formed with an undercut, apertured rim, the upper side of the rim having a level outer and an upwardly slanted interior section and a trenchcd and notched shoulder, and opposite the shoulder, an opening for a pivotal attachment, the aperture adapted to be fitted with an axle, and the shoulder shaped and formed for frictional and resilient locking engagement with a spur on the terminal of a binder.

3. In a closure for a bottle or other container, a bottle formed with an undercut, apertured rim, the upper side of the rim having a level outer and an upwardly slanted interior section and a trenched and notched shoulder, and opposite the shoulder, an opening for a pivotal attachment, the aperture adapted to be fitted with an axle and the shoulder shaped and formed for locking engagement with the free end of a binder.

4. In a closure for a bottle or other container, a binder pivoted on an axle having rotary movement on the rim and in an aperture in a level outer section of the rim of the bottle, and a locking engagement in a shoulder of the rim, the locking engagement comprising a spur on a terminal of the binder fitted to frictionally and resiliently engage a notch in the base of the shoulder.

5. In a closure for a bottle or other container, a binder pivoted on an axle having rotary movement on the rim and in an aperture in a level outer section of the rim of the bottle, and a locking enga ement in a shoulder of the rim, the pivot ormed with a shoulder to rest and rotate on the level outer section of the rim, the pivot rounded and journaled in the aperture, the rtion thereof beneath the rim slitted and ivided centrally the two sides bent and flattened against the base of the rim.

6. The combination of a bottle with sealing and locking means, the bottle formed with an aperture in the rim opposite an undertrenched and undernotched shoulder the binder formed with an axled end pivoted in the aperture, 2. central section overlying a sealing member and spur end fittab-le into an undertrench and a notch in the base of the shoulder.

7. The combination of a bottle with sealing and locking means, the bottle formed with an a erture in the rim 0 posite an undertrenc ed and undernotched shoulder the binder formed with an axled end pivoted in the aperture, a central section overlying a sealing member, a spur end fittable into an undertrench and a notch in the base of the shoulder, and a downward curve between the pivoted end and seal-carrying middle portion and an ugward curve between the atter and spur en 8. The combination of a bottle with sealing and locking means, the bottle formed with an a rture in the rim o posite an undertrencii d and undernotche shoulder the binder formed with an axled end pivoted in the aperture, a central section overl ing a sealing member, a spur end fittable 1nto a trench under, and a notch in the base of, the shoulder, and a downward curve between the pivoted end and seal'carrying middle portion and an upward curve between the latter and spur end, the portion of the pivoted end beyond the rim slitted and divided centrally, the two sides bent and flattened against the base of the rim.

9. In an article as described a binder member formed with a downward curve between a pivoted end and seal-overlying middle portion and an upward curve between the latter and a spur end.

10. In an article as described a binder member formed with a downward curve between a pivoted end and seal-overlying middle portlon and an upward curve between the latter and a spur end, the spur end fit table into an undertrench and a notch in the base of a shoulder formed in the rim of the bottle opposite the apertured side of the bottle rim.

11. In an article as described a binder member formed with a downward curve between a pivoted end and seal-overlying middle portion and an upward curve between the latter and a spur end, the spur end fittable into an undertrench and a notch in the base of a shoulder formed in the rim of the bottle opposite the apertured side of the bottle rim, the notch in the base of the shoulder alined in engagement with the spur end centrally, with the portion of the binder overlying the seal, and with the pivoted engagement of the pivoted end of the binder.

12. In a closure for a bottle or other container, a bottle formed with an undercut, apertured rim, the upper side of the rim having a level outer and an upwardly slanted interior section, also with an undertrenched and undernotched shoulder in the rim, and opposite the shoulder an opening in the rim for a pivotal attachment.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

THOMAS C. SPELLING. 

